Archery bows of the “compound bow” type are generally constructed having a rigid handle member or riser that is formed to accommodate a grip for the archer's hand. The rigid riser terminates at either end with a means for attaching flexible limbs thereto. The limbs, in turn, terminate in cams or wheels to accommodate operating cables and a bow string. Such archery bows are known as compound bows and are presently available in the prior art in a variety of designs usually adapted for specific bow uses such as hunting and the like.
To facilitate the uses of such compound archery bows, it is necessary to attach certain accessory items to the riser to enable the archer to properly use the bow. For example, a bow sight is typically attached to the riser using screws or bolts and provides a means for the archer to aim the arrow to compensate for the variations in the arrow's trajectory as a result of the target range or other shooting conditions. Similarly, accessories such as an overdraw bracket are frequently utilized by archers to permit the archer to “overdraw” an arrow such that the head of the arrow, when drawn, is actually positioned rearwardly of the riser. Such overdraw brackets that permit the archer to “overdraw” are generally used by archers to launch shorter and lighter arrows than the standard arrow to thus increase the velocity of the arrow and flatten the arrow's trajectory on its way to a target.
Other accessories may be attached to the archery bow riser, such as an arrow quiver. The positioning of the accessory brackets is particularly critical to the mounting of a bow sight or the mounting of an overdraw bracket to the riser. To permit the archer to remove the accessories and to reinstall them in precisely the same location, the prior art simply utilizes screws that pass through the respective brackets and engage the threads of mounting holes provided in the riser. The repeatability of the positioning of the brackets is therefore governed by the fit of the screws; dimensional variations that occur as a result of ordinary manufacturing tolerances frequently cause the brackets to be installed in slightly different positions. Similarly, the brackets may be jarred from their position during typical rough handling of a compound archery bow that is used for hunting, or if the bow is dropped and the bracket strikes a hard object. The precise positioning of accessory brackets on archery bow risers has therefore suffered in the prior art as a result of ordinary manufacturing dimensional variations; further, the likelihood that the bracket may be slightly jarred from its desired position as a result of impact adversely affects the repeatability of the bracket positioning. Even slight shifting of the parts relative to each other can cause serious performance degradation, e.g., a slight change in the sight position can radically change the point of impact of the arrow.
Some prior art bow risers are provided with indentations to accept the external shape of an accessory bracket to maintain the bracket in a specific firm position when mounted on the riser (see, for example, the accessory mount described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,396). If the owner-archer of such prior art bow riser attempted to use another manufacturer's accessory on such a riser, the configuration of the bracket may not correspond to the indentations provided in the riser and the bracket would therefore not be usable; thus, the accessory to be mounted to that bracket would not be usable in combination with that riser.